to be utterly disgusted at people's comments re. welfare cuts

[HappyGoLuckyGirl]

Yes, I'm aware that our welfare system needs reforming. I do not profess to know how this should be done.

I've just read a few articles on the proposed cuts that primarily focused on reducing tax credits. The vitrol is appalling. I can't believe this is the country I live in.

I am a single mother working 40 hours a week also mid way through a 5 year part time degree. I earn slightly over minimum wage. Things are tight enough as it is, with the tax credits I get (80% of which goes on my weekly childcare bill) and now they are planning to reduce them.

I am trying to better myself so I don't always have to rely on benefits to get me through the month and yet I'm being punished! Why are working people being targeted? How is that fair in the slightest? If I wasn't so furious I would cry.

And as for people saying that employers should raise workers wages, I can say with 100% surety that if I approached my employer and asked for a living wage (increase of £8k+) I would be flat out refused and or fired. And I work in a skilled job! What hope do people who work for a large multi-national company have?

I am very this morning.

Oh Lotus and her delluded fuckwittery yet again. It's almost worth hearing just for the comedy value

In relation to tax credits, it is ludicrous in so far as many people pay income tax/ni and then get given benefits . Maybe we should tax the rich more and massively increase the personal allowance ..... It surely would save a lot of work

Bloody hell Connie. Can you go back and just read your posts?
You come on here and smugly admit that yes, you used to get TC yourself and even managed to put some into savings. Then you berate people who are claiming them now for relying on them!

Loads of people used to get tax credits who earned a good salary, we earned over £50k and got them, with only one child and no childcare, it was about £42 a month, I think you could get that up to £52k and then it tapered off. This was a few years ago before it was drastically cut. It was all a bit ridiculous really.

Yeah I remember when we had our first dc and the hv was that we didn't qualify when I was on mat leave.

No political party cares more nor does the most for the least fortunate as the Conservatives. Under Labour there is always less money for the poor as they manage the state badly and the less fortunate suffer for it. It is the Tories who really care and that is one reason they were voted in.

You are fucking deluded. Seriously.

I work full time, DH works part time both not quite NMW but not far off. He would work more but we're both shift workers and struggle to get childcare to cover lates or earlys if our shifts overlap - we try to work opposite each other where we can but unfortunately we don't get much say in the rotas.

Our rent, in a not particularly up market area is over 40% of our combined salary. It doesn't really leave us an awful lot to live on, especially given energy prices / food / commute costs. We live reasonably frugally already, the odd day out but no holidays, a takeaway every couple of months with vouchers, dinner out for birthdays. We can't really move without leaving our jobs / children's schools - we're up north already so it's not a London issue.

Cutting the tax credits we get will leave us genuinely struggling.

And we already work weekends.

How the hell do you manage to get £400 each month on tax credits on a yearly income of £38K?
Do you need to have 10 children to get that amount of tc?
DH's & my combined income was the same albeit with only 1 child (in childcare) and we got around £42 each month.

We don't get any tc now but then we are fortunate enough not to need it.
However there are a lot of people less fortunate than ourselves who do need tc to survive.

YANBU.
I am so angry with this government. I knew it would come but still. Welfare is an easy headline grabbing target as it is so emotive . The propaganda has worked it would seem by many comments seen thur far.
It's not just these cuts though. I truly Bruce this government is carrying out aspects of social cleansing with their cuts also. Move the "great unwashed" out of the expensive areas then we don't have to mix with them , also impacting on schools etc.
I actually cried the day they got back in. ????????

Meant believe "who's Bruce

What Garlick said up thread resonated with me.

My father was an illegal immigrant, I grew up on a huge council estate, was the first in my family to go to uni and by some freakish good luck, I have a skill set that Investment Banks want and the constitution / warped sense if humour to enjoy working for them.

I was at the march on Saturday because I want a fairer society, a proper welfare state, a decent NHS and for other people from my background to have the chances I had. What was lovely was that there were all types of people there. Middle England was out in force. It wasn't just the usual crowd. We met a lovely lady in her 60s who had come down from Lancashire because she was worried about what would happen to her children and grand children.

I honestly don't get the argument that we need to cut welfare or that we need to close our borders. Frankly, I don't care if some people who don't 'deserve' benefits get them or if immigrants need some help to get established here. What really worries me is that people who need benefits may not be able to access them and that people who need to seek refuge in our country may be turned away.

To reassure some of you, I did hear on the radio that the govt were going to reduce income tax for lower income families so that should help a little if tax credits are cut.

I do feel the whole system has got completely out of hand, when I had my DC, people got a decent wage and TC's didn't exist. The introduction of them has let massive companies make massive profits. The balance does need to shift back to companies paying their fair share, but low income families should not suffer whilst this is being sorted out. It's cruel!

In RL everyone I know who did/wanted to march are financially comfortable.

I think it's people who feel financially insecure, for whatever reason, are the ones who are in favour of cutting welfare or closing boarders.

How do you get companies to start paying a living wage; nobody in government is asking them to, nor are the people bray for cuts to benefits.

YANBU. It's incredibly upsetting to see how so many people just don't give a fuck about each other anymore.

Both myself and DH work but earn a low wage. We are reliant on CB and TC.

I'm really worried about the future

Hmmm....that sounded wrong. I'm not saying everyone who feels financially insecure wants to see welfare cuts, or closed boarders. Hell, I don't feel financially secure and don't want those things.

Due to my advanced age I only got tax credits for my children right at the end of their education
Even then apparently was messed up due to a relationship breakdown and I have only just finished paying the supposed overpayment off
Now as a single parent of adult children who are either in full time education, or trying to get on career ladder via poorly paid internships, I don't get any tax credits working or child related
Yet I struggle along on less than the national average wage, with a huge mortgage trying to keep us all
I work for a charity and despite the need of my clients, and the skills that I possess, am confident that I will be unemployed at some point in the near future (funding cuts)
Am pretty sure that I could find employment, but without employers paying a realistic page that was not based on being topped up with tax credits - I'm screwed

I think it is diabolical that the working poor are being targeted for cuts while millionaire pensioners can have winter fuel allowance, free bus passes and free TV licences......

I'm wondering how anyone was able to claim £400 a month in tax credits on 38K? When we had an income of around that with 2dc, we were able to claim £40 a month. I think it was as high as £80 when we had a child under 1. We were never entitled to claim more than that. I had childcare costs for a while too

People who have tax credits may not be happy on the thread but the country chose this Government and its policies. Those on the thread are the minority.

Most people in the UK don't get tax credits. I have never had them ever.
This sums up the mood of the country

"I fail to understand why people think the government should be a surrogate parent with an open wallet to pay for everything.. Both parents brought the child into the world and it's they who should pay towards the childs upkeep and upbringing, not the tax payer..
And if that means no gadgets and fancy clothes then tough.."

Most of us back Cameron all the way and see IDS who is selflessly doing difficult work for which he is not much appreciated as a hero.

I thought someone on the thread was sharing care with a husband so surely if the husband does not work at the weekends the wife could work at the weekends in the periods when the husband is well enough to care for them eg lunch times and afternoons in a local shop to cover the £25 a week potential loss of the tax credits? Lots of us have always worked at weekends to make ends meet as we don't have the state subsidy for part time working which so many have come to rely upon and has to stop.

"IDS who is selflessly doing difficult work for which he is not much appreciated as a hero"

Oh Xenia, you are a card!